If your colonel shows up in front of you with steel helmet and sub machine gun and tells you to advance with him you can be sure the situation is fucked.
@@andyz.5431 Walter Model was a Field Marshall and he used to direct traffic at road junctions, 😁 Without doubt the Germans were truly magnificent soldiers, 👍
I read somewhere that part of the ending was an “outtake” when Stranksy’s helmet came off and he started laughing. Steiner laughing along with it, was kept in the movie to illustrate the sheer madness of war. Steiner; “I will show you, where the Iron Crosses grow”. What a line.
Indeed, that line is one of my few favorite lines in cinema, out of all the movies I've seen (possibly one or two thousand; I used to live in a locality favored for quality of movies and number of theaters). The first several times I heard it, it made the hair of my scalp stand up. The entire brief scene between Steiner and Stransky is poignant. Coincidentally, one other such line is in another Peckinpah movie.
@@SMFCNA If true, that would make sense. Peckinpah frequently had a contentious relationship with his studio regarding budget. Reportedly, while shooting earlier films they'd just give him the money (along the lines of "he's already spent $20 million, so we night as well give him another $5 million and get a sellable movie"). In this case the studio appears to have declined. Similarly, I've heard he had to spend his own money to rent two Soviet tanks from the Yugoslavian army that he needed for one scene. At least Sammy David got Steiner's memorable line in the movie. I've heard that movie is considered to feature Coburn's best, or at least one of his few best, performances. Also, in an interview, available right here on TH-cam, Coburn expresses his admiration for the creative excellence of any of Peckinpah's movies (although he had roles only in three of Peckinpah's movies considered more worthy, not the less-well-considered movies of Peckinpah's years of creative and psychological decline).
@@davidjordan2011 There's a funny scene wear Steiner says " caught with your pants down again?" and the last name is one of the studio execs Peckinpah was fighting with. :D
James Coburn directed the scene. Peckinpah was suffering from the DT's and couldn't make it to the set. The film was supposed to end differently, but the guys with the money cut it off, and said, "no more." Coburn improvised the ending. I think he did a damned good job.
-I will always remember Peckinpah as a man who, in our final film together, kept me standing on the edge of the abyss of madness before pushing me in...with himself jumping in right afterwards. James Cobourn on Sam Peckinpah.
One of the most powerful endings to any war film ever made. The bureaucratic officer is less able at shooting a gun than a child, while the disillusioned war veteran can only laugh maniacally at the madness of the world.
JimmySteller It changed a lot from the source material though. In the novel, there's not a single word about Stransky's actual fighting ability, but since he's depicted as a Prussian officer, other than being haughty and scheming, he's definitely well trained. And Steiner-while does want revenge for his comrades' death, dies due to a pretty much stray grenade out of nowhere and his conflict with Stransky has no solution of any kind. Speaking of which, I gotta love how the main characters drop like flies in both version, decades before Game of Thrones.
At 1:28, it’s quite moving to see the older German commander firmly stopping his men’s retreat then leading them back into the face of the enemy. Someone of his age probably served in the First World War too, and here he is in his fifties (or early sixties even?) having to go through it all again. Yeah, I know it’s just a film, but there would have been men like him in real life.
Yes he's old enough to definitely have taken part in WW1. And Wermacht not SS, so does that hint that he may not of been a full supporter of the Nazi party? I guess that is up to us viewers to decide. I believe Ernst Junger also turned down a offer to be a party member? Forgive me if this is incorrect, it's been a number of yrs since seeing the movie and reading about Junger. The other thing too was if I remember correctly there was no corridors open to retreat? He did ship out his aide, Captain Hauptn just in time with a strong msg to rebuild Germany. Knowing that you cant retreat, well you mars well keep fighting. Deaths pobably a better option than a gulag.
James Mason was (ironically) a conscientious objector. Not only that, he refused non-combatant military service. I understand the first (many brave conscientious objectors served as medical orderlies in deadly situations) but the second puzzles me. Still, he was an amazing actor.
Saving Private Ryan may have been a gritty portrayal of war, but the ending still glorified it. The ending of Cross of Iron is superior, hands down. It captures the utter madness of it. No glory, no 'brotherhood. Just madness.
@@Briselance Yes, there's brotherhood between soldiers. What I'm saying is this movie wasn't using brotherhood to glorify war, unlike Saving Private Ryan.
Really? Lol...saving private ryan doesn't glorify anything. The ending is about cost. It's pretty simple. Comparing these 2 movies is hilarious. This movie is a badly edited joke, along with their bad 70s hair styles.
@@willthorson4543 No, it twists the mission from a seemingly meaningless search and rescue of 1 random soldier which gets a bunch of others killed into a heroic last stand where they hold off the german advance they otherwise would not have thanks to the squad that shouldn't have been there.
@@volcelraptor3983 Otherwise it wouldn't have made for much of a movie. And what they were portraying in a vignette was the dedication and heroism of the soldiers not the war, since all but Ryan died.
@@stevekaczynski3793 apparently Peckinpah had a completely different ending in mind, but he simply ran out of money and couldn't finish the film. the "how do I reload" was a blooper and was left in the movie
I thought this was the best war movie I ever seen when I was a kid... Years later I spotted it again in a video hire store.. and thought I watch it again man it's still the best war movie I have ever seen absolutely loved it .
I love the way human nature shines through at the very end; two soldiers who are supposed to be enemies being unable to shoot each other and instead just resigning to the hilarity of the situation.
+Kittenstomper on the night off 17-10-2015 ahh was fighting with mongrel part hori Kerry fabling on motorway bush and he fell and roll down and Ahh laugh which distracted me from stabbing him. . He took off latter.
@Mr. Man Many of the Waffen-SS were ideologically driven, but there's not much evidence that they were elite troops. Many of the best and most trained German units were already gone by the summer of 43. Like the original parachuting division, which was used in the invasion of Crete.
Unfortunately this cut left out the quote at the end. It sort of went "Do not rejoice that you have killed the beast, for the bitch that bore him is in heat again" History has proven this.
@@33Luger , Have you considered the possibility that the function of war has evolved (or has at least been re-directed)? The factors that sparked WWI would probably not incite anyone to violence today, but there is still a need to send the young, vital men of a generation off to be culled so that they don't metastasize into a revolutionary force and upset the status quo.
@@chokkan7 True, many of the reasons for war no longer make sense, since most of the world's fertility rate has slipped below replacement levels, no need to aquire new lands for the next generation. Only in Islamic countries are they producing at high rates. And much of the wars going on are centered around there. Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Equally importantly, is the fact it's an allegory on the absurdity of 'class' and 'privilege' as much as anything else. In this light, he wants the 'Cross of Iron', but has little or no practical abilities, skill or instinct to earn it. An excellent metaphor for the nepotistic nature of certain parts of 'Society' at thst time as well as now..
I have to give props to the old Colonel. When the chips were down he put on his helmet got his rifle and went to fight and lead his people. The damned Prussian Captain was a coward.
Yairo Martis actually it was probably much worse this time around than in the Great War. The Russian infantryman of World War II was far better trained and better armed than the ones who fought under the czar. The critical shortage of rifles for russia during World War One caused many to be sent into battle unarmed. At this point in the war there was an abundance of mosin nagant rifles available as well as a fair amount of PPSH submachine guns so weapons supplies were hardly ever an issue for the red army from mid 1943 on.
I love the facial expression of the Soviet kid. He realized he had an easy kill and yet missed it. Really cynical movie; absolutely superb. Best war movie I have yet seen.
"Stop There! Advance with me!" I first saw this movie in maybe 1979 or 1980 during a Saturday matinee, several years before cable tv and VHS home video. I love this movie. That epic line by James Mason still resonates with me. Gives me chills. Thank you for posting this clip. BTW - I now own this movie in my DVD collection. Times have changed... But this particular movie will always be a classic.
Actually no, you have to remember that Stransky may have fought in the first world war so chances are he might not understand how to use newer weapons. Just like how older people struggle with Ipads and gaming computers.
@@danieljohnson2139 maybe but all get an proper Training on its weapon. I think its Just the Stress of the Battle, because this is His First realy Combat Action.
@@AndyP998 I'll say. In the book Band of Brothers, the airborne leader recounts how just after the D-Day drop a member of his platoon discovered a German sniper set up in a hedgerow. Instead of shooting the German or getting the drop on him to force his surrender, the young American instinctively reverted to the field training he'd received several months before, back in Georgia, prior to the time the paratroops had been issued their weapons. He simply pointed his finger at the sniper and called loudly, "Sniper! Bang! Bang!" Whereupon, the German shot him dead and dashed away. This was witnessed by another member of the platoon.
There are muskets in American Civil war museums with 3 or more musket-balls and powder loaded. The poor infantryman; his first shot didn't fire, so he loads another powder-patch-ball, only to have that one misfire as well. So he loads another, then another, until the musket is full of balls and powder. In the heat of battle, you remember parts of your training...but your ability to think about your actions vanishes. After the first misfire, a black-powder muzzle-loader is going to need a good gunsmith to clear the problem. In the calm of training, the infantryman knew better.
No amount of CG can ever replace this sort of live action, it just doesn't compare to the rawness of seeing a stunt double fall two stories after exploding out of a tower!
I always thought he said " I will show you the Iron Crosses role" Until i read the captions on the subtitles. I always thought my misunderstanding of the original quote was better.
Still holds up to this day. It shows the absolute madness of war, and the glorious uselessness of heroism. Filled to the brim with tragic and comedic moments.
Sam Peckinpaugh was a master of depicting soldiers in battle - especially machine gun fire. His editing in this movie, as in the Wild Bunch, was tremendous.
James Coburn had me in Stitches watching his character here in this classic 45 yrs on ❤️Great characters also played by James Mason , Maximilian Schell,David Warner to name a few actors no longer with us,R I P 🙏
Ppsh-41 was a very good weapon and the German adopted it gladly in their infantry tactics. Insane rate of fire, compared to Mp40, 1000 rpm to around 500 rpm, and 71 rounds to 32 in the MP40. So, same time to send down range a doubled amount of bullets. Also, the 7,62 russian travels 25% faster and it's a hotter load than the standard 9mm parabellum, so it's easier to hit moving targets and clean rooms and suppress the enemy.
if you load with 71 rounds its a guaranteed jam though, 65 round max. the soviets used to stop the drum mag because it was unreliable. the mp40 was exellent but the build quality was so high that in freezing condintions it sometimes failed to work because of the low manufacturing tolerances. so the lower craftmanship of the soviets in this case was an advantage.
@@tommyatkins2527 you make one mistake the thing is in a panic well underfire the solder will automaticly push the saftey all the way down rather then spanding tome teaching thr russian solder not to do this they make that setting semi-automatic and that means the solder has to actuly think about engaing full auto. but allas most people dont read and think the manual of arms for the AK is the same as that for the M16 which is wrong
The movie was an excellent adaptation of a book called The Willing Flesh by Willi Heinrich. I highly recommend reading as it gives even more insight into the characters which only enhances the tragedy.
Depends. In the last months of the war, the Wehrmacht enlisted everyone who was deemed too old or too young to serve before. Or maybe it was an unexperienced field officer who was never issued an MP-40 before, because of shortages (most soldiers used older bolt-action rifles without mags). Or maybe he was in full panic mode because he was about to be overrun by a very angry mob of soviet soldiers.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 we're not talking about some senile old man or 9 year old kid we're talking about an actual officer who was ISSUED an MP, if he just picked it up then okay maybe if it's like 2 weeks before the end of the war, but he would know what he's doing realistically. He has an actual officer's uniform, not some cheap own/late war model uniform.
if he had been on staff for a while and not used that model of weapon a bit of fumbling around might occur. This has probably changed as when I was at the shooting range on a regular basis near my local Uni the ROTC guys would show up at least once a month and practiced small arms. Nothing too intense, after all an officer's weapon is their command, but enough to load, aim, and fire.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 I think the officer was actually staff and then requested transfer for career reasons. So fumbling around might be plausible esp. when adrenaline is factored in. Contrast that to the senior officer who was probably a jr. line officer in WW1, like Rommel who was a decorated Lt. and Cpt. in WW1.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 If you read about the battle of berlin there was an instance where the SS more or less field conscripted something like 10k elementary school kids for a battle in Berlin, issuing them guns and uniforms and calling them shock troops, fyi they were almost all slaughtered in that battle
This is a great film. It influenced me a lot in my youth. Because it is an anti-war-film. I hate so much the war-films Hollywood produces espacially during the last decade that became more and more propagandistic.Like war would be fun. But it isn't. War is inhuman and horrible. The worst experience human can do. Cause it destroys your soul and bring you in distance to god.
And the people who must suffer the war are the civilians NOT the soldiers. The innocent civilians are the first victims of this fucking wars invented by rich people and politicians. We always need to remember that.
+Ariel Goldfarb if you read cross of iron , you ll see soldiers suffer from war,after years they become brothers and they lost their brothers one by one,read book comment here again.because writer willi heinrich was also a soldier which fought against russians at east.
@Ariel You are so wrong mate. Politicans start wars. Not soldiers. I was also soldier. This are always the first victims. Especially when they were send to war by lies.
Of course i never said anything different than that. And i will add that the civilians are the first one that most suffer from wars not even the soldiers.
In the movie, after the action cuts to still shots, actual World War 2 photos of Russian partisans and civilians hanged by the Germans are shown, while the tune continues. Without those grisly pictures, the words of the Colonel, shortly before the final battle, have little meaning. He was saying, "Will they ever forgive us for what we have done?"
@@JosephGibson How very condescending. I was stating that when I watched this movie on Austrian television a long time ago, they had cut the photos at the end. Now what does that tell you about the authorities in Austria?
Reminds me of my wedding ceremony: I forgot how to tie a tie, even without enemy fire. (I had worn neckties every day to work for years at that time...)
The ending is amazing, it obliterates Stranski's absurd idea about the nature of honor, courage, and warfare as Schteiner laughs at his exposed idiocy. I never noticed that the child shooting at them was the girl killed in the beginning. Great flick of the 70s and a great book.
Boy killed at the beginning. The same actor I believe, but the brown hair here was his natural hair colour, to play the boy captured earlier in the film his hair was dyed blond.
It's Steiner's laughter which seals it for me. Maybe he's lost his mind, maybe he's just discovered the madness all around him, maybe a bit of both, but what a way to end this movie. I know it wasn't what Peckinpah originally intended, but I don't care. This was the best way to end a Peckinpah war movie.
Looks like they both had it at the end.Very powerful film and very sad and brutal, showing the horror of war. Everybody did a great job performing in it
When I saw this film in widescreen, in the late seventies in a theatre. Sam peckinpah, has done it again. You must see this in a giant widescreen, like a 90 inch flat lcd tv. If I get a 90 in tv, this movie dvd will play first thing.I had a VHS, original move tape of this film well its missing. I think this is james coburn best film.
sonofcy don't know the truth of this but I heard the movie was gonna have s X rating before release because it had s rape sence that was absolutely the most burtal film for it's time if I recall correctly Sam had a lot of pressure about movies in that sense
If I recall correctly I think it was an X on it's release in 77, I was in the last year of 6th form then. My friends and I used to go to this old flea-pit occasionally to see X films.
This movie is pure gold. I don't think there has ever been a film that more accurately depicts conflicts between soldiers-soldiers, soldiers-officers & men & women on the battlefield.
Das Boot has a very very not so good if I were the director I will cut it off ending... Band of Brothers mini series are based on real story but way far from real but rather a Hollywood big shot ... Stalingrad (of course the German version) is still too short for me to enjoy and I'd like it being extended to Band of Brother length ... Cross of Iron is so unreal but so real so I'd rather put it on top of the five. Plus, you forgot many other good German movies such as Generation war (my father, my mother, sorry I forgot the German name)
ARomanianKid, Well said and well put!! My favorite bad ass scene of all time as well. Reminds me of what our General Andrew Jackson said, "One man with courage makes a majority!"
It's a very very good movie, Sam Peckenpaugh ran out of money and had to cut some corners in production. I consider it to be one of James Colburn's best work as an actor. I got to see it in Fort Worth, Texas while in Flight School. I was a lot younger then.
....I saw this film when it was first released at the cinema ...absolutely brilliant...but to appreciate this end scene, you have to have watched the entire film...It left amark on me!!
oh they cut the best part about the ending... while real footage from WW2 rolls at some point steiner screams "OH SHIT" which could imply so many things. its beautiful
James Coburn “Steiner” explains this ending scene in a 1993 interview he gave about working with director Sam Peckinpah. They actually ran out of budget and had to improvise the end scene in half a day without actually knowing what the end would be. Steiner laughing at the officers gun falling apart wasn’t scripted, it just happened during a take and Peckinpah loved it and wrapped things up… James Coburn interview 1993, it’s on TH-cam. Check it out.
I still remember the key features of this final scene. Herr Stransky, now you will be taught how to earn the Iron Cross, both by me and by the regimental commander, leading our men up front! Overall, I would recommend "Cross of Iron" to folks who like to say up very late at night with a macabre sense of humor looking for old war movies.
Respect to that old German colonel who fought alongside his men and lead by example. He was probably a veteran of the First World War so new his way around a battlefield
It’s a very good film. Great ending as it shows the brutal reality of the eastern front. Hardly anyone survived including high ranking officers. The retreat was complete chaos and disarray. The Colonel just decided to go down fighting along with Steiner and the Captain!
@thrombox : based on reading history. Also on OBs from reliable sources. Your point about the various weapons is correct, but I am not sure that the Germans considered the Polish campaign more difficult than the French. At least I know that Von Mellenthin, Halder, and Rommel did not, to the best of my recollection. Btw did the Germans make use of the 7TP? Didn't they use the chassis for AGs? I never heard of them using the PZL37, I might recall a story that a flight of them escaped to UK?
The boy at the end of the movie was the Russian boy soldier who had been killed earlier in the film. Steiner was hallucinating about him in his memory,
+Spartaculus Jones He was a Russian boy soldier, not a German. It's the same actor, but he had blonde hair as the captured boy soldier. At the end he has dark hair.
Marko Stamenković I know that -- I wasn't talking about the actor, rather his character -- a Russian boy soldier (or two). I have a copy of the Serbian film "Life Is a Miracle" in which Slavok had the leading role.
MarcusBritish I understand that, but I'm very proud because this film made in Yugoslavia. In one scene Russian soldiers singing the song of Yugoslav partisans. Slavko Stimac played very well this character.
Marko Stamenković A lot of WW2 war-films were filmed in Yugoslavia (and Turkey) during the 60s-80s because they had the right terrain undisturbed by industrial growth since the war. Also because they're often cheaper to film in than many places in Europe or Russia.
If your colonel shows up in front of you with steel helmet and sub machine gun and tells you to advance with him you can be sure the situation is fucked.
For the most part the Heer had superb fighting officers that lead from the front.
@@Toyotaamazon80series For sure up to Hauptmann, maybe also Major, but unlikely colonel (Oberst)
@@andyz.5431 Walter Model was a Field Marshall and he used to direct traffic at road junctions, 😁 Without doubt the Germans were truly magnificent soldiers, 👍
That's when you know it's time to get your operator on.
If colonels have to fight in person, instead of directing from an HQ, then yes.
I read somewhere that part of the ending was an “outtake” when Stranksy’s helmet came off and he started laughing. Steiner laughing along with it, was kept in the movie to illustrate the sheer madness of war.
Steiner; “I will show you, where the Iron Crosses grow”. What a line.
Indeed, that line is one of my few favorite lines in cinema, out of all the movies I've seen (possibly one or two thousand; I used to live in a locality favored for quality of movies and number of theaters). The first several times I heard it, it made the hair of my scalp stand up. The entire brief scene between Steiner and Stransky is poignant. Coincidentally, one other such line is in another Peckinpah movie.
It is my understanding that the production ran out of money, so they had to use outtakes to finish the movie.
@@SMFCNA If true, that would make sense. Peckinpah frequently had a contentious relationship with his studio regarding budget. Reportedly, while shooting earlier films they'd just give him the money (along the lines of "he's already spent $20 million, so we night as well give him another $5 million and get a sellable movie"). In this case the studio appears to have declined. Similarly, I've heard he had to spend his own money to rent two Soviet tanks from the Yugoslavian army that he needed for one scene.
At least Sammy David got Steiner's memorable line in the movie. I've heard that movie is considered to feature Coburn's best, or at least one of his few best, performances. Also, in an interview, available right here on TH-cam, Coburn expresses his admiration for the creative excellence of any of Peckinpah's movies (although he had roles only in three of Peckinpah's movies considered more worthy, not the less-well-considered movies of Peckinpah's years of creative and psychological decline).
Correct. James Coburn talks about that in this interview. th-cam.com/video/2w4m22S9pFk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FU6Yxl26d4aL5dWy&t=1793
@@davidjordan2011 There's a funny scene wear Steiner says " caught with your pants down again?" and the last name is one of the studio execs Peckinpah was fighting with. :D
James Coburn directed the scene. Peckinpah was suffering from the DT's and couldn't make it to the set. The film was supposed to end differently, but the guys with the money cut it off, and said, "no more." Coburn improvised the ending. I think he did a damned good job.
-I will always remember Peckinpah as a man who, in our final film together, kept me standing on the edge of the abyss of madness before pushing me in...with himself jumping in right afterwards.
James Cobourn on Sam Peckinpah.
Sad to hear Peckinpah was so addicted to have debilitating DT. Well, maybe he tried to wean off the stuff but he was in a world of shit
One of the most powerful endings to any war film ever made. The bureaucratic officer is less able at shooting a gun than a child, while the disillusioned war veteran can only laugh maniacally at the madness of the world.
JimmySteller
JimmySteller It changed a lot from the source material though. In the novel, there's not a single word about Stransky's actual fighting ability, but since he's depicted as a Prussian officer, other than being haughty and scheming, he's definitely well trained. And Steiner-while does want revenge for his comrades' death, dies due to a pretty much stray grenade out of nowhere and his conflict with Stransky has no solution of any kind. Speaking of which, I gotta love how the main characters drop like flies in both version, decades before Game of Thrones.
So fucked up.... :D
You couldn't have say it better, that's why i absolutely love this ending
I totally agree !
At 1:28, it’s quite moving to see the older German commander firmly stopping his men’s retreat then leading them back into the face of the enemy. Someone of his age probably served in the First World War too, and here he is in his fifties (or early sixties even?) having to go through it all again. Yeah, I know it’s just a film, but there would have been men like him in real life.
There are many accounts of German commanders doing this. A lot of them lead from the front.
Be aware of old wolfs.
@@ruiborges9884 “Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.” - Anon.
Yes he's old enough to definitely have taken part in WW1. And Wermacht not SS, so does that hint that he may not of been a full supporter of the Nazi party?
I guess that is up to us viewers to decide.
I believe Ernst Junger also turned down a offer to be a party member? Forgive me if this is incorrect, it's been a number of yrs since seeing the movie and reading about Junger.
The other thing too was if I remember correctly there was no corridors open to retreat? He did ship out his aide, Captain Hauptn just in time with a strong msg to rebuild Germany.
Knowing that you cant retreat, well you mars well keep fighting.
Deaths pobably a better option than a gulag.
James Mason was (ironically) a conscientious objector. Not only that, he refused non-combatant military service. I understand the first (many brave conscientious objectors served as medical orderlies in deadly situations) but the second puzzles me. Still, he was an amazing actor.
Saving Private Ryan may have been a gritty portrayal of war, but the ending still glorified it. The ending of Cross of Iron is superior, hands down. It captures the utter madness of it. No glory, no 'brotherhood. Just madness.
Although believing there is no brotherhood between soldiers is simply false.
@@Briselance Yes, there's brotherhood between soldiers. What I'm saying is this movie wasn't using brotherhood to glorify war, unlike Saving Private Ryan.
Really? Lol...saving private ryan doesn't glorify anything. The ending is about cost. It's pretty simple. Comparing these 2 movies is hilarious. This movie is a badly edited joke, along with their bad 70s hair styles.
@@willthorson4543 No, it twists the mission from a seemingly meaningless search and rescue of 1 random soldier which gets a bunch of others killed into a heroic last stand where they hold off the german advance they otherwise would not have thanks to the squad that shouldn't have been there.
@@volcelraptor3983 Otherwise it wouldn't have made for much of a movie. And what they were portraying in a vignette was the dedication and heroism of the soldiers not the war, since all but Ryan died.
Two great actors, greatly missed.
Haunting ending.
That's for sure.
I don't know if it is true but I have heard the film ended here because Peckinpah went over budget.
@@stevekaczynski3793 apparently Peckinpah had a completely different ending in mind, but he simply ran out of money and couldn't finish the film. the "how do I reload" was a blooper and was left in the movie
Three great actors. Coburn, Schell, and Mason.
When I watched the movie for the first time, I was expecting an ending similar to The Wild Bunch.
I thought this was the best war movie I ever seen when I was a kid... Years later I spotted it again in a video hire store.. and thought I watch it again man it's still the best war movie I have ever seen absolutely loved it .
I love the way human nature shines through at the very end; two soldiers who are supposed to be enemies being unable to shoot each other and instead just resigning to the hilarity of the situation.
+Kittenstomper on the night off 17-10-2015 ahh was fighting with mongrel part hori Kerry fabling on motorway bush and he fell and roll down and Ahh laugh which distracted me from stabbing him. . He took off latter.
No I felt for Steiner- that piece of shit Stransky that Russian kid shot to bits. Its arsoles like him
that made us loose the war.
Ethan Steffek source?
The guy who didn't know how to reload was in the Heer (Wehrmacht). He was an officer who didn't know shit, but wanted to earn his glory.
@Mr. Man Many of the Waffen-SS were ideologically driven, but there's not much evidence that they were elite troops. Many of the best and most trained German units were already gone by the summer of 43. Like the original parachuting division, which was used in the invasion of Crete.
Unfortunately this cut left out the quote at the end. It sort of went "Do not rejoice that you have killed the beast, for the bitch that bore him is in heat again" History has proven this.
Maybe. There hasn't been a world war since 1945. Just small conflicts in small nations. Maybe humanity is learning.
@Juan Noreikat Or in a regular war, the politicians send young men off but they are relatively safe. In an atomic war, no one is safe.
@@33Luger ,
Have you considered the possibility that the function of war has evolved (or has at least been re-directed)? The factors that sparked WWI would probably not incite anyone to violence today, but there is still a need to send the young, vital men of a generation off to be culled so that they don't metastasize into a revolutionary force and upset the status quo.
@@chokkan7 True, many of the reasons for war no longer make sense, since most of the world's fertility rate has slipped below replacement levels, no need to aquire new lands for the next generation. Only in Islamic countries are they producing at high rates. And much of the wars going on are centered around there. Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Bad cut off at end by the uploader. 😡
Equally importantly, is the fact it's an allegory on the absurdity of 'class' and 'privilege' as much as anything else. In this light, he wants the 'Cross of Iron', but has little or no practical abilities, skill or instinct to earn it. An excellent metaphor for the nepotistic nature of certain parts of 'Society' at thst time as well as now..
Vodka refrigerated...
Yes like entitled and narcissistic women
I have to give props to the old Colonel. When the chips were down he put on his helmet got his rifle and went to fight and lead his people. The damned Prussian Captain was a coward.
He knew he was probably going to die, so he decided to go out like a soldier.
He's probably like "this ain't shit, I was in the trenches in the Great War".
Yairo Martis actually it was probably much worse this time around than in the Great War. The Russian infantryman of World War II was far better trained and better armed than the ones who fought under the czar. The critical shortage of rifles for russia during World War One caused many to be sent into battle unarmed. At this point in the war there was an abundance of mosin nagant rifles available as well as a fair amount of PPSH submachine guns so weapons supplies were hardly ever an issue for the red army from mid 1943 on.
Captain wasn't a fucking "Prussian"....just a bloody coward....
Yes he was "I will show you how a true Prussian officer fights."
I love the facial expression of the Soviet kid. He realized he had an easy kill and yet missed it. Really cynical movie; absolutely superb. Best war movie I have yet seen.
I LOVE THAT CHILD'S FACE, too.Great your answer...!! 😉
Cross of Iron is the 'All Quiet On The Western Front' for World War Two.
Peckinpah was a misunderstood genius.
Great film, but the book (originally 'The Willing Flesh') was written by Willi Heinrich. I enjoyed both.
He really was
I love the moment when the Kolonel says: "Stop there! And Fight with me!"
"Stop There! Advance with me!" I first saw this movie in maybe 1979 or 1980 during a Saturday matinee, several years before cable tv and VHS home video. I love this movie. That epic line by James Mason still resonates with me. Gives me chills. Thank you for posting this clip. BTW - I now own this movie in my DVD collection. Times have changed... But this particular movie will always be a classic.
"How do I reload, Sgt. Steiner??!" What a great line, and it sums up Captain Stransky's character pretty well.
Actually no, you have to remember that Stransky may have fought in the first world war so chances are he might not understand how to use newer weapons. Just like how older people struggle with Ipads and gaming computers.
@@danieljohnson2139 maybe but all get an proper Training on its weapon. I think its Just the Stress of the Battle, because this is His First realy Combat Action.
@@Mt-zr5bf People in panic tend to forget and do totally stupid things
@@AndyP998 I'll say. In the book Band of Brothers, the airborne leader recounts how just after the D-Day drop a member of his platoon discovered a German sniper set up in a hedgerow. Instead of shooting the German or getting the drop on him to force his surrender, the young American instinctively reverted to the field training he'd received several months before, back in Georgia, prior to the time the paratroops had been issued their weapons. He simply pointed his finger at the sniper and called loudly, "Sniper! Bang! Bang!" Whereupon, the German shot him dead and dashed away. This was witnessed by another member of the platoon.
There are muskets in American Civil war museums with 3 or more musket-balls and powder loaded.
The poor infantryman; his first shot didn't fire, so he loads another powder-patch-ball, only to have that one misfire as well.
So he loads another, then another, until the musket is full of balls and powder.
In the heat of battle, you remember parts of your training...but your ability to think about your actions vanishes.
After the first misfire, a black-powder muzzle-loader is going to need a good gunsmith to clear the problem.
In the calm of training, the infantryman knew better.
One of the best war movies ever...
SuperNjak Were ara you from ?
+Michael Wittmann I am from Serbia, by the way, these film was shot in Serbia...
SuperNjak
The best war movies realistic ever
Press x bro
Nope Downfall
this movie is so underrated. Its one of the best war movies ever made.
No amount of CG can ever replace this sort of live action, it just doesn't compare to the rawness of seeing a stunt double fall two stories after exploding out of a tower!
"I will show you where the iron crosses grow...."
Somebody recently released a book on the fighting in Crimea and it was titled "...Where the Iron Crosses Grow".
I always thought he said " I will show you the Iron Crosses role" Until i read the captions on the subtitles. I always thought my misunderstanding of the original quote was better.
Such strong words ge wanted one he earned one by fighting
The great Orsen Welles absolutely loved this movie.
Still holds up to this day. It shows the absolute madness of war, and the glorious uselessness of heroism. Filled to the brim with tragic and comedic moments.
Everyone involved in this film was great.
James Mason nails the role of a German General....again
Colonel.
James Mason is fantastic. Yorkshire lad through and through
Love David Warner in this film
The clearance of the Kuban-Bridgehead in fall 1943. Germanys most successful rearguard action...
"and i will show you where the iron crosses grow" is to this day one of the most badass lines in any war movie
Still a great film. Saw it in the seventies and it was way ahead of the rest for its time.
The best war movie ever.
true
It probably would have been more popular if Star Wars had not been released at the same time.
Nicholas Patton oh shit true
Ever seen Come and See? It's a good competitor.
The best war movie ever! Really! How many war movies have you seen? Two?
Brilliant ending. James Coburn laughing like there's no tomorrow. 🥴
And at the end he says "oh, s4it"
Sam Peckinpaugh was a master of depicting soldiers in battle - especially machine gun fire. His editing in this movie, as in the Wild Bunch, was tremendous.
Makes sense since he was a ww2 vet who saw combat
He’s the greatest director nobody talks about
One of the best war movies in my humble opinion , many great actors !
James Coburn had me in Stitches watching his character here in this classic 45 yrs on ❤️Great characters also played by James Mason , Maximilian Schell,David Warner to name a few actors no longer with us,R I P 🙏
I will show you where the iron crosses grow
What a well written line
Doesn’t this quote have a second meaning? A cross as a potential grave element? It's as if battle was a place of glory or death
I like the fact that Steiner uses the PPSH41 instead of the MP40
because PPSH41 is loot magazine than Mp40. Very effective to shot enemy rush attack. But for long range PPSH41 is less accurate than Mp40
Russian mentality like why auto is first setting on ak47 rush tactics
Ppsh-41 was a very good weapon and the German adopted it gladly in their infantry tactics. Insane rate of fire, compared to Mp40, 1000 rpm to around 500 rpm, and 71 rounds to 32 in the MP40. So, same time to send down range a doubled amount of bullets. Also, the 7,62 russian travels 25% faster and it's a hotter load than the standard 9mm parabellum, so it's easier to hit moving targets and clean rooms and suppress the enemy.
if you load with 71 rounds its a guaranteed jam though, 65 round max. the soviets used to stop the drum mag because it was unreliable. the mp40 was exellent but the build quality was so high that in freezing condintions it sometimes failed to work because of the low manufacturing tolerances. so the lower craftmanship of the soviets in this case was an advantage.
@@tommyatkins2527 you make one mistake the thing is in a panic well underfire the solder will automaticly push the saftey all the way down rather then spanding tome teaching thr russian solder not to do this they make that setting semi-automatic and that means the solder has to actuly think about engaing full auto. but allas most people dont read and think the manual of arms for the AK is the same as that for the M16 which is wrong
"I will show you how a true Prussian officer fights."
And I will show you where the iron crosses grow.
@@dschnauzer11 l show you the lron cross is role.
Officers and fight ??? Two strange worlds collide !!! 😂😂😂😂
A veteran
Who else but James Mason could have done this part so well?
+William Moore " ADVANCE! With me..."
It’s the best in this final scene.
Dont forget David Warner, as ragtag captain
@@AndyP998 Warner plays a character all veterans are familiar with - Mr I've Mcfucking had it.
Such a great cast
Honestly, one of the most unsettling endings of any war movie I've ever seen.....
My favorite part of this is the look on the Russian kid's face.
"Damn it. I missed."
.
The movie was an excellent adaptation of a book called The Willing Flesh by Willi Heinrich. I highly recommend reading as it gives even more insight into the characters which only enhances the tragedy.
Ending sends a message, ending is well written, ending is funny
but realistically he would know how to operate an MP if he was a field officer
Depends. In the last months of the war, the Wehrmacht enlisted everyone who was deemed too old or too young to serve before. Or maybe it was an unexperienced field officer who was never issued an MP-40 before, because of shortages (most soldiers used older bolt-action rifles without mags). Or maybe he was in full panic mode because he was about to be overrun by a very angry mob of soviet soldiers.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 we're not talking about some senile old man or 9 year old kid we're talking about an actual officer who was ISSUED an MP, if he just picked it up then okay maybe if it's like 2 weeks before the end of the war, but he would know what he's doing realistically. He has an actual officer's uniform, not some cheap own/late war model uniform.
if he had been on staff for a while and not used that model of weapon a bit of fumbling around might occur. This has probably changed as when I was at the shooting range on a regular basis near my local Uni the ROTC guys would show up at least once a month and practiced small arms. Nothing too intense, after all an officer's weapon is their command, but enough to load, aim, and fire.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 I think the officer was actually staff and then requested transfer for career reasons. So fumbling around might be plausible esp. when adrenaline is factored in. Contrast that to the senior officer who was probably a jr. line officer in WW1, like Rommel who was a decorated Lt. and Cpt. in WW1.
@@cincinnatusrespecter7246 If you read about the battle of berlin there was an instance where the SS more or less field conscripted something like 10k elementary school kids for a battle in Berlin, issuing them guns and uniforms and calling them shock troops, fyi they were almost all slaughtered in that battle
LOOL Col Brandt is so cool
cross of iron is one of the best films about the insanity of war and one of the best war films
I sang Entchen klein (the song here) as a child. It brings back memories.
Another Peckinpah Classic! Brilliantly done by Sam! Such a fantastic director he was!😀🎬🎞️🎥
You'll never find an ending quite like this again in Cinema
I watched this when I was 9...
Last year my doctor told me that I'm recovering from my ptsd
This is a great film. It influenced me a lot in my youth. Because it is an anti-war-film. I hate so much the war-films Hollywood produces espacially during the last decade that became more and more propagandistic.Like war would be fun. But it isn't. War is inhuman and horrible. The worst experience human can do. Cause it destroys your soul and bring you in distance to god.
And the people who must suffer the war are the civilians NOT the soldiers. The innocent civilians are the first victims of this fucking wars invented by rich people and politicians. We always need to remember that.
+Ariel Goldfarb if you read cross of iron , you ll see soldiers suffer from war,after years they become brothers and they lost their brothers one by one,read book comment here again.because writer willi heinrich was also a soldier which fought against russians at east.
+Fengris No such thing as god. The only god here is the god of war and the almighty dollar. Sheckles, if you will.
@Ariel
You are so wrong mate. Politicans start wars. Not soldiers. I was also soldier. This are always the first victims. Especially when they were send to war by lies.
Of course i never said anything different than that. And i will add that the civilians are the first one that most suffer from wars not even the soldiers.
Hard movie to find ... I still have a copy on VHS. One of the best WWII movies of all time.
In the movie, after the action cuts to still shots, actual World War 2 photos of Russian partisans and civilians hanged by the Germans are shown, while the tune continues.
Without those grisly pictures, the words of the Colonel, shortly before the final battle, have little meaning.
He was saying, "Will they ever forgive us for what we have done?"
The German's were not the only ones to commit atrocities during the War, thankfully they lost, but do not forget that.
@@JosephGibson How very condescending. I was stating that when I watched this movie on Austrian television a long time ago, they had cut the photos at the end.
Now what does that tell you about the authorities in Austria?
I saw the film for the first time when I was about 12 years old.
It is still the war film that gets under my skin the most.
"I have to reload... How do I reload?!?" - That part always cracks me up.
Reminds me of my wedding ceremony: I forgot how to tie a tie, even without enemy fire.
(I had worn neckties every day to work for years at that time...)
One of the best WW-II movies made.
The ending is amazing, it obliterates Stranski's absurd idea about the nature of honor, courage, and warfare as Schteiner laughs at his exposed idiocy. I never noticed that the child shooting at them was the girl killed in the beginning. Great flick of the 70s and a great book.
Boy killed at the beginning. The same actor I believe, but the brown hair here was his natural hair colour, to play the boy captured earlier in the film his hair was dyed blond.
Holy shit, I never realized that.
It's Steiner's laughter which seals it for me. Maybe he's lost his mind, maybe he's just discovered the madness all around him, maybe a bit of both, but what a way to end this movie. I know it wasn't what Peckinpah originally intended, but I don't care. This was the best way to end a Peckinpah war movie.
1 of the best war movies ever made, well ahead of its time
A Genius of a Film!!
One of the best war movies ever made.
Looks like they both had it at the end.Very powerful film and very sad and brutal, showing the horror of war. Everybody did a great job performing in it
this is a good film, tells a different story than the one usually put out by companies..a different perspective
1:32 "One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
The situation was so bizarre that the only response was deranged laughter.
When I saw this film in widescreen, in the late seventies in a theatre. Sam peckinpah, has done it again. You must see this in a giant widescreen, like a 90 inch flat lcd tv. If I get a 90 in tv, this movie dvd will play first thing.I had a VHS, original move tape of this film well its missing. I think this is james coburn best film.
Absolutely his best and sadly overlooked because it's not from the Hollywood stable.
sonofcy don't know the truth of this but I heard the movie was gonna have s X rating before release because it had s rape sence that was absolutely the most burtal film for it's time if I recall correctly Sam had a lot of pressure about movies in that sense
If I recall correctly I think it was an X on it's release in 77, I was in the last year of 6th form then. My friends and I used to go to this old flea-pit occasionally to see X films.
"Come with me and I will show you where the Iron Crosses grow."
This movie is pure gold. I don't think there has ever been a film that more accurately depicts conflicts between soldiers-soldiers, soldiers-officers & men & women on the battlefield.
Sgt Steiner, the heroe described by Nietzsche! The Cross of Iron grow when person faces the death, smiling
With the so g playing over the top....haunting
just a great movie depicting the eastern front
love the character of Stiner
War doesn't look the same as it is thought to be at the table.Great movie👍👍
that russian kid was like: *fuck this, i ain't gonna shoot you anymore*
One of the best war movies of all time.
The best ending of a war movie shared with Come and See.
such a great film ,not well known as it should be
The TOP-5 war movies/series about WW2 are:
- Das Boot
- Cross of Iron
- Band of Brothers
- Battle of Britain
- Stalingrad
Come & See,Russian movie is better tho I agree with your list otherwise
Das Boot has a very very not so good if I were the director I will cut it off ending... Band of Brothers mini series are based on real story but way far from real but rather a Hollywood big shot ... Stalingrad (of course the German version) is still too short for me to enjoy and I'd like it being extended to Band of Brother length ... Cross of Iron is so unreal but so real so I'd rather put it on top of the five. Plus, you forgot many other good German movies such as Generation war (my father, my mother, sorry I forgot the German name)
You missed 'come and see' by Klímov
A Bridge to far
Bridge at Remagan
Enemy at the gates
For King and country
Platoon
@@uttaradit2 Enemy at the gates? Lol.
ARomanianKid, Well said and well put!! My favorite bad ass scene of all time as well. Reminds me of what our General Andrew Jackson said, "One man with courage makes a majority!"
Is it just me or the song at the end may have inspired the ending "Mickey Mouse" song in Full Metal Jacket?
It's a German folk song of the era. Actually older. A children's rhyme.
the Mickey Mouse song at the end of FMJ comes from the theme to the Mickey Mouse Club, an American TV show from the 1950's.
This is one of those movies where the end credits are essential to the full effect of the ending, but they're cut off here.
I gona show you were the iron crosses crow! One of the bigest influences i had in my cildehood
It's a very very good movie, Sam Peckenpaugh ran out of money and had to cut some corners in production. I consider it to be one of James Colburn's best work as an actor. I got to see it in Fort Worth, Texas while in Flight School. I was a lot younger then.
That song gives me goosebumps Everytime
he was a nut, but damn was he a great director. no one has come even CLOSE to capturing war like Peckinpah did
Loved Coburn as Sgt, Steiner a man who knew the war was over but kept on fighting!
何度観てもシビれる。
男の映画。
....I saw this film when it was first released at the cinema ...absolutely brilliant...but to appreciate this end scene, you have to have watched the entire film...It left amark on me!!
oh they cut the best part about the ending... while real footage from WW2 rolls at some point steiner screams "OH SHIT" which could imply so many things. its beautiful
James Coburn “Steiner” explains this ending scene in a 1993 interview he gave about working with director Sam Peckinpah. They actually ran out of budget and had to improvise the end scene in half a day without actually knowing what the end would be. Steiner laughing at the officers gun falling apart wasn’t scripted, it just happened during a take and Peckinpah loved it and wrapped things up… James Coburn interview 1993, it’s on TH-cam. Check it out.
I still remember the key features of this final scene. Herr Stransky, now you will be taught how to earn the Iron Cross, both by me and by the regimental commander, leading our men up front! Overall, I would recommend "Cross of Iron" to folks who like to say up very late at night with a macabre sense of humor looking for old war movies.
"How do I reload!?" How some things never change in time.
Respect to that old German colonel who fought alongside his men and lead by example. He was probably a veteran of the First World War so new his way around a battlefield
yes rhys. he was acaptain in the first world war............................
It’s a very good film. Great ending as it shows the brutal reality of the eastern front. Hardly anyone survived including high ranking officers. The retreat was complete chaos and disarray. The Colonel just decided to go down fighting along with Steiner and the Captain!
only about 1 in 10 german soldiers died in ww2 (as result of fighting) another 1 in 20 died as POWs
I did enjoy James Mason and David Warners parts in this movie.It must have been one of Masons last roles I'd say.Still a great actor.
@thrombox : based on reading history. Also on OBs from reliable sources. Your point about the various weapons is correct, but I am not sure that the Germans considered the Polish campaign more difficult than the French. At least I know that Von Mellenthin, Halder, and Rommel did not, to the best of my recollection. Btw did the Germans make use of the 7TP? Didn't they use the chassis for AGs? I never heard of them using the PZL37, I might recall a story that a flight of them escaped to UK?
@LamentConfiguration7: It is not a "Barney Song", and it was in the movie. It is a German folk song called "Hanschen Klein"
Nothing beats children singing a song while all hell breaks lose, is call irony at the edge of death in war.
Strange but i love this ending. Sad that they run out of money, one of best ww2 films ever made
James Coburn brilliant as always!🤗👌👍🎬🎞️📽️🇺🇸
The boy at the end of the movie was the Russian boy soldier who had been killed earlier in the film. Steiner was hallucinating about him in his memory,
+Spartaculus Jones He was a Russian boy soldier, not a German. It's the same actor, but he had blonde hair as the captured boy soldier. At the end he has dark hair.
MarcusBritish the name of the actor is Slavko Štimac and he is from Serbia.
Marko Stamenković I know that -- I wasn't talking about the actor, rather his character -- a Russian boy soldier (or two). I have a copy of the Serbian film "Life Is a Miracle" in which Slavok had the leading role.
MarcusBritish I understand that, but I'm very proud because this film made in Yugoslavia. In one scene Russian soldiers singing the song of Yugoslav partisans. Slavko Stimac played very well this character.
Marko Stamenković A lot of WW2 war-films were filmed in Yugoslavia (and Turkey) during the 60s-80s because they had the right terrain undisturbed by industrial growth since the war. Also because they're often cheaper to film in than many places in Europe or Russia.
And I will show you, where the Iron Crosses Grow
Greatest James Coburn laugh EVER!
can anyone tell me the names of the archive stills appearing in the closing title please ?
The final explosion symbolizes that Steiner kicked it at the end?
The book is very good too if you get a chance to read it. IIRC, written by a real German veteran.
The willing flesh?